1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a facsimile apparatus which includes an image memory for storing image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional facsimile apparatus which stores image data read from an original in a memory and transmits the stored image data, if some kind of transmission error is produced during image transmission, error image data stored in the memory remains there and is preserved until the data is erased after the completion of retransmission instructed by the operator, or until the operator instructs the apparatus to erase the error image data. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,772,955 (issued Sep. 20, 1988) and 4,845,569 (issued Jul. 4, 1989) relate to facsimile apparatuses which perform such memory transmission.
Accordingly, in the above-described conventional facsimile apparatuses, the remaining capacity of the image memory is reduced for as long as the error image data are preserved. As a result, data of a new original cannot be stored, and therefore its transmission cannot be performed.
In the above-described conventional approach, error image data are unconditionally preserved if an error is produced during transmission. Hence, error image data is always preserved even in the case of an error leaving no possibility of successful retransmission, causing a reduction in the efficiency of the memory.
On the other hand, if error image data is erased immediately after image transmission is interrupted because of an error in order to increase the efficiency of the memory, the error image data must be read again in order to retransmit the error image data.